Butcher&#39;s tool rack



June 24, 194,1. Q wlNGARD BUTGHERS TOOL RACK Filed Sept. 5. 1939 Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STAT E S AT E OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for holding the several tools which a retail butcher is constantly using for the cutting and preparing of meat for sale. The objects of this invention are to provide a rack which, rst, may be quickly taken apart for cleaning and which, therefore, is sanitary; second, which has compartments for the various sizes of knives and other tools normally used; third, which is fastened directly to the cutting block on which the butcher cuts the meat, and which, therefore, brings the several tools in a convenient position to be grasped; fourth, which is adjustable in height to accommodate the wear of the cutting block; fifth, which may be quickly and simply demounted from its position on one side of the cutting block and remounted on anotherside thereof, thus permitting the cutting block to be turned as it wears away, while the rackwill remain in the same position relative to the market wall; and which is cheap to make,

simple to disassemble, clean and reassemble, and

effective in use.

I attain these and other objects by the devices and mechanisms illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is `an end elevation of my apparatus `ap plied to a cutting block; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof taken below the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; Fig. l is a side elevation of the lower portion thereof when `adjusted for a worn cutting block; Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively side and end views of one of the supporting screws; Fig. '7 is a rear elevation of the closure plate of the rack, removed from the assembly; and Fig. 8 is a section thereof taken on the line 8-3 in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a section oi a portion oi one of the supporting frame members, taken on the line 3-9 in Fig. 10; Fig 10 is a rear elevation of the corresponding portion of one of the supporting frame members; and Figs. 1l and l2 are respectively rear elevation andplan of the main rack plate.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Each side ci the usual butchers cutting block 2U is provided with two supporting screws 2i secured therein in standard distance from each other and from the bottom level of the said block 20. Each of these supporting screws 2l comprises a screw-threaded taper shank and a triangular head 22 (Figs. 5 and 6) said head 22 being preierably formed on an equilateral triangle. The shank is adapted to be screwed into the block 2U and when screwed home the lower `side thereof is horizontal. The other two, inclined, sides are tapered inward as seen in Fig. 5.

The supporting frame comprises two like members each comprising a flat metal bar 23 adapted to lie vertically lagainst the side of the block ZIJ, and provided with two angular holes 24 (Figs. 9 and 10) whose upper two sides are complementary to the two upper sides of the said supporting head 22 of the screw 2l, and the lower side of which is removed sufciently to permit the head 22 to pass readily through the hole 24. One only of these holes 24, in each of the bars 23, is used at a time. While the block 20 is still comparatively little worn away the head 22 passes through the lower of said two holes 24, but when the block has been worn down several inches the supporting frame members may be lowered by passing the said heads 22 through the upper holes 24 therein. The bar 23 is provided with two reenforcing flan-ges 25 on its rear surface` to strengthen it at said holes 24,

The vertical bar 23 is provided with a horizontal flange 26 extending forward at the bottom, through which a suitable set screw 2l passes upward to engage the lower surface of the block 2B to hold the frame member 23 tightly down on the said supporting head 22 (Figs. 1 and 2). A small pointed pin or lug 28 is formed on the front side of the bar 23 and is adapted to be driven into the side of the wooden block 23 when the bar 23 is in proper position.

The upper part of the bar 23 is bent rearward at right-angles (Fig. 9) to form a rack seat 29, and then again bent upward at right-angles to form the vertical upper extension 33, adapted to support the hereinafter described rear board.

When the frame member or bar 23 is to be lowered on the block 26, the set screw 2l is removed from the ilange 26 and a U-shaped insert 3l is secured to the upper side of the iiange 26 by means of two studs 32 (Fig. 4) which enter the hole in the ilange 26 from which the said set screw has been removed and a hole 33 in the bar 23, and then the said set screw 21 is passed through the upper flange of the insert 3| to again engage the lower surface of the block 2li, thus iirmly holding down the bar 23 on its supporting head 22 which now passes through the upper of the said two holes 24 in the bar 23.

Two inclined wedge ears 34 hang downward from the rearward end of the rack seat 29 (Figs. 9 and 10) on each side thereof.

The main tool rack is composed of two separate members which are supported on the above described rack seat 29 or are clamped to the rear side of the block 2l! by the above described wedge ears 34. These rack members are preferably made of a suitable plastic material though wood or other material may be used if desired. The front or forward member 35 is specially illustrated in Figs. 1l and 12, while the rear or closure member 36 is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. The two members 35 and 36 cooperate to form the tool rack and they are entirely separable for cleaning.

The part 36 consists substantially of a nat plate with two slots 3l' (Figs. '7 and 8) which are open at the bottom edge of the plate and extend upward therefrom and are adapted to permit the said plate 3G to be slipped over the seats 29 of the two supporting frames. It is, of course, obvious that the spacing of the screws 2l, and the bars 23, must be the same as the spacing of the said slots 3l. The said plate 36 is also provided with four wedge-shaped flanges 38, one on each side of each of said slots 37. These flanges 38 are adapted to engage and coact with the said wedge ears 34 extending downward on each side of the seats 29 of the two supporting frames, above described, to force the said plate 36 forward against the complementary rack plate 35 (Fig. 3).

The front rack plate 35 (Figs. 11 and 12) is provided with two similar slots 39 corresponding in position and depth with the slots 3l of the plate 35. Both the front and the rear sides of this plate 35 are grooved from top to bottom, thus forming a series of open pockets and 4| on the front and rear sides, respectively, the pockets [i0 being adapted to be closed by the side of the cutting block 2i) while the pockets 4i are closed by the rear or closure plate 35. The combined thickness of the two plates 35 and 3G and of the wedge flanges 38 equals the distance from the front face of the bar 23 to the wedge ears 35 (Fig. 9) and therefore the said wedge ears force the two plates 35 and 36 together and against the rear vertical surface of the cutting block 2S to firmly clamp them in place.

Thus it will be seen that the said rack plates 35 and 36 may be quickly removed from their operative positions, as above described, to be cleaned and replaced without the necessity of actuating any latch, bolt or other contrivance. To aid in placing the plates 35 and 35 in correct position I prefer to provide them with a small pair of conical buttons or lugs S2 on the front side of the rear plate 36 and a pair of complementary holes or cavities t3 on the rear side of the front plate 35, thus aiding the operator, who may be replacing the plates into position on the bars 23, to hold the plates in proper relative position as he passes them down on to the said supporting bars 23. Also it will be seen that the above-described clamping action between the wedge ears 34 and the block 20 accounts for the tapered sides of the heads 22 of the supporting screws 2| and that the bars 23 are prevented from sliding oi the said heads 22 by the set screws 21 which prevent any vertical movement thereof on said heads. It is, of course, understood that the said heads 22 may be hooked or flanged to hold the said bars 23 in place on the block 20, said construction being the practical CII equivalent of the said preferred tapered sides of the head 22.

As viewed by the butcher, therefore, and as shown in Fig. 3, a double series of open-ended pockets l0 and 4| are provided at the side of the cutting block 20, said pockets being convenient to the hand of the butcher and adapted to severally receive the various knives, the cleaver, steel, and other tools in frequent use by the butcher.

The extensions 35 of the two bars 23 carry the rear upper board 44. This board is simply hung on hooks which extend forward from the said extension bars 30 through suitable holes in the board 44. This board may be used for hanging the meat saws or for any other purpose desired.

VIt is, of course, to be understood that many variations of the details described above and illustrated in the drawing may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as outlined in the appended claims, and that the words and terms used in the description and claims have been chosen for convenience and are to be given their most generic meaning consistent with the invention and art at the present time.

Having, therefore, described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool rack for a butchers block, comprising a pair of supporting screws fastened into the vertical face of the block at uniform level; a pair of supporting frame members each having two vertically alined holes therein, adapted to selectively pass over and engage the heads of said screws; horizontal flanges at the lower ends of said frame members and passing under the block; removable anged inserts secured to said flanges when the said screw heads are in engagement with the upper of said holes; screw means passing through said flanged inserts and engaging the under side of the block to hold said frame members in tight engagement with said supporting screws; and means mounted on said frame members to hold tools.

2. A tool rack for a butchers block, comprising a pair of supporting screws fastened into the vertical face of the block at uniform level; a pair of supporting frame members having holes therein adapted to pass over and engage the heads of said supporting screws; horizontal flanges at the lower ends of said frame members and passing under the block; screw means passing through said flanges and engaging the under side of the block to hold said frame members in tight engagement with said supporting screws; a horizontal offset in each of said frame members above said holes; two wedge ears depending from the sides of the outer ends of said horizontal offsets; and a pair of spaced tool boards having slots in ltheir lower edges to pass over said two horizontal offsets, and the outer of said boards having wedge-shaped flanges on each side of said slots, engaging said wedge ears to force said boards into tight engagement with each other against the vertical face of the block, said inner board being provided with grooves adapted to receive tools between it and the block on the one side and the outer board on the other side.

GUNNAR WINGARD. 

